1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus including a reading unit which is capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus and which reads an original document, a method for controlling the image processing apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a case where a document is scanned by an image processing apparatus including a scanner device in a network environment and the image processing apparatus is controlled by a client computer, a driver which operates in the client computer is generally used. That is, a user who operates the client computer transmits an instruction to the image processing apparatus so that scanning is performed using the scanner driver and obtains image data read through the scanning. This processing method is generally referred to as “Pull Scan processing”.
On the other hand, a method for reading image data by scanning a document, by a user operating an image processing apparatus, and transmitting the image data to a client computer has been generally known. This processing method is referred to as “Push Scan processing”.
Furthermore, as a modification of the Push Scan processing, a method for activating a driver which operates in a client computer by transmitting an instruction from an image processing apparatus and executing the Pull Scan processing has been proposed (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-111793, for example). This processing method is referred to as “pseudo Push Scan processing”.
When Push Scan processing or pseudo Push Scan processing is performed, a user selects a client computer to which image data is to be transmitted using an operating panel of the image processing apparatus. Therefore, the image processing apparatus capable of performing the Push Scan processing or the pseudo Push Scan processing is required to store information on one or a plurality of client computers.
In an effort to improve usability, a client computer which is not currently operating is required to be a transmission destination of the image data. As a method for realizing such control, a method for periodically transmitting notifications from client computers to an image processing apparatus has been proposed. Accordingly, the image processing apparatus can recognize operation states of the client computers in accordance with states of receptions of the periodical notifications supplied from the client computers. On the other hand, since the image processing apparatus replies on an operation state of itself to the client computers in response to the notifications supplied from the client computers, the client computers can recognize the operation state of the image processing apparatus.
It should be noted that a frequency of notifications transmitted from the client computers to the image processing apparatus and the number of client computers should be taken into consideration. For example, in a case where a notification is transmitted from a client computer to the image processing apparatus every five seconds, twelve notifications are transmitted in one minute. Accordingly, the image processing apparatus replies twelve responses per minute. Assuming that five client computers transmit notifications to the image processing apparatus with this frequency, the image processing apparatus is required to reply 60 responses per one minute.
In recent years, in order to reduce cost of image processing apparatuses, there has been a demand for reduction of capacities of memories included in the image processing apparatuses. Therefore, a number of image processing apparatuses do not include mass storage devices. In addition, it is also desirable to reduce unnecessary processing load applied to image processing apparatuses.
Accordingly, in order to reduce the processing load to such an image processing apparatus as described above, the number of client computers which are managed by a single image processing apparatus is limited.
When the number of client computers which are managed by an image processing apparatus is limited under the circumstance described above, the following method can be proposed.
That is, a method for successively registering client computers which transmit operation states in an image processing apparatus and terminating the registration when the maximum number is reached. In this case, client computers which transmit operation states after the maximum number is reached are not registered in the image processing apparatus and the image processing apparatus does not transmit responses to unregistered client computers.
However, in a case where a limited number of client computers are managed by an image processing apparatus using this method, when a user selects a transmission destination to which image data is to be transmitted using an operating panel of the image processing apparatus, a client computer desired by the user may not be displayed. This is because it is possible that the client computer desired by the user is not included in the limited number of client computers to be managed.
On the other hand, in a case where the maximum number of client computers is not set, if a considerably large number of client computers are displayed in the operation panel of the image processing apparatus, it is difficult for the user to locate and select a desired client computer. Furthermore, the likelihood that a user selects an unintended client computer is increased.